Dubai mums fighting metastatic breast cancer spread positivity

For a healthy and active Diane, the news was no less than a shock since she experienced no pain or other obvious symptoms.

It takes a lot to face your fears, and even more to muster up the courage to stare into the face of uncertainty every day. Two brave women, diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer (mBC), are creating memories every day for their loved ones and encouraging others to believe in the power of positive thinking.
"I don't worry about what might not happen . I need to carry on," said Diane Anderson, who was diagnosed with mBC in 2016.
"The start of the discovery happened by chance. I learned I had cancer in the right breast after someone pointed it out on Facebook," she said.
Diane then visited her general practitioner and was referred to an oncologist, who ordered a biopsy and a PET scan. "I was told the cancer was metastatic and had travelled to the liver from the breast, but had been diagnosed early at stage one," she said, adding that cancer travelling to the liver happens in only 10-15 per cent of the cases.
For a healthy and active Diane, the news was no less than a shock since she experienced no pain or other obvious symptoms. To get a confirmation, however, she travelled to the UK a month after the diagnosis and was told that she indeed had mBC. "I was doing all the right things you can possibly do - I had no family history, I was eating right, I was working out, had breastfed my kids . I did it all, so why did I get the cancer?" she wondered.
A treatment plan was set and it was decided that she would undergo surgery followed by six rounds of chemotherapy.
After the initial shock, Diane researched about the disease. "I did not know everyone has cancer cells in their body and anyone can get cancer depending on how the immune system reacts," she said. Since January 2017, Diane, a mother of two, has been daily taking tablets for her oral chemotherapy.
Negative first tests
For Rima Fallaha-Friedrich, the struggle has been more or less the same. In early 2016, Rima found a small lump in her right breast. "I went for check-ups and had an ultrasound done twice, but was told that the lump didn't look suspicious," she said.
"I still had a nagging feeling so I went for a mammogram, but it also didn't show anything suspicious."
Rima went for another ultrasound, and this was when the radiologist told her that she should consult an oncologist. After a biopsy, she was told that she had triple negative breast cancer, the most aggressive kind of cancer that is likely to spread and recur.
"I had no idea what and why it happened to me . I used to go for regular check-ups, too," said Rima who was only 35 years old when she was diagnoased. She has two children who are now five and two and a half years old.  "Life changed in a day for me," she said. Rima then travelled to Germany for a second opinion and treatment.
When she underwent chemotherapy, things looked promising as the lump had shrunk. She also had her two breasts removed and "thought the worst was over".
Rima was back in Dubai by the end of 2016 when she found another lump near her armpit. The cancer was back. "I underwent a round of radiation and had a surgery to remove the lump."
Everything was clear by the summer of 2017 but come January 2018, another scan showed two dots in her chest wall."The cancer had spread to the bones," said Rima.
Four cycles of immunotherapy along with complementary medicines slowed the progression of the disease, but Rima could not tolerate the treatment. Every three weeks, she now travels to Germany for immunotherapy.
"I have my good days and bad days when I am down and depressed . I also have two young children, and I want to fight it for them . I am creating memories for them every day," said Rima, adding that she had now started explaining to her five-year-old son why she was losing hair and why she had to travel a lot.
But unlike Diane's children who were older when she was diagnosed, Rima's children are too young to understand.
No certain treatments
For patients with metastatic cancers, there are no certain treatments except trials.
Insurance doesn't cover immunotherapy because it is not yet an approved treatment. "I spend around 8,000 euros every three weeks for the treatment," said Rima.
Despite the hardships, both Diane and Rima said anybody suffering from the disease needs to fight it out. "Though insurance has covered my treatment, it is the positive attitude that helps and creates a placebo effect," said Diane.
"We are trying to live life and we do not want to be worried about costs . We are creating memories with friends and family," she said.
Both women found support from their friends and family as well as some groups in the UAE, but they said health professionals needed to create stronger awareness and provide patients with more information.
"There is a need for an increased awareness around mBC to help foster a supportive environment for patients in the UAE," said Diane.
Get to know metastatic breast cancer
>Metastatic breast cancer (mBC) is a form of breast cancer that has spread to another part of the body, most commonly the liver, brain, bones, or lungs.
>Cancer cells can break away from the original tumour in the breast and travel to other parts of the body through the bloodstream or the lymphatic system, which is a large network of nodes and vessels that work to remove bacteria, viruses, and cellular waste products.
>Breast cancer can come back in another part of the body months or years after the original diagnosis and treatment.
>A wide variety of treatment options are available and new medicines are being tested every day. While metastatic breast cancer may not go away completely, a combination of treatment may control it for a number of years.
Cancer patient handbook
>An upcoming handbook on metastatic cancer by Pfizer answered a number of questions such as what to expect from the treatment; how to cope with emotions; how to feel better in one's body (in terms of nutrition, exercise, complementary therapies, etc.); how to handle relationships (in terms of talking to loved ones, keeping the diagnosis from taking over a romantic relationship, how to talk to children about it); and how to manage one's work life and responsibilities, among others.
>It would be the first UAE mBC patient handbook, set to be released before the end of this year. It is endorsed by Friends of Cancer Patients and approved by the Ministry of Health and Prevention.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com